yes, i'm a girl. that doesn't mean i don't know what i'm talking about...

Alright. So here's the story of my weekend.

Saturday, I get up and I'm wandering around the house in my pajamas at 8 in the morning, because it's Saturday, and the only plans for the day involve some yard work and then laundry. Then my sister calls. The press broke down and part of the paper didn't get out. So our boss wants to know if I can come in. I used to work in customer service, so even though I work legal advertising now, I can use the system if I have to, and one of the regular customer service girls was out of town with her family, so they needed the help.

I drove in, and on my way in the tire pressure light lit up in the car. Okay. I just got new tires on Myrddin at sears in mid-April. So it's weird that they need air already, but whatever. I go to work, work for a couple of hours until the insane rush is over, and then head out. My plan was to go by the gas station, check the tires, put air in and then go to the mall to get my hair cut. And while I was at it I figured I'd drop Myrddin off to get his oil changed at Sears because it'd be convenient that way. Well, I get to the gas station and I top off the two passenger side tires. Then I get to the left rear tire and when I attach the pressure gauge, I can hear air hissing *out* of the tire. I think, well I just didn't have it pressed in hard enough. No biggie, it's a little low, so I take the air hose and hook it up to add air. And *that* lets air out of the tire! Okay. Again, maybe I wasn't pressing hard enough. So I try it again. Air out. I check the tire with the gauge. Yes, definitely lower. Fine.

I move on to the left front tire, thinking maybe the nozzle on the end of the air hose broke. Nope. It worked perfectly for the front tire, just like it had for the other two. So there's something wrong with that left rear tire. Fine. Everything's covered under the new tires with Sears. I drove over to Sears and pulled in. I explained that I wanted an oil change, and I explained about the rear tire. Of course the guy says, 'well you just weren't pressing hard enough'. So, quite patiently, I explain that I did just the same thing I did on the other three tires, and I didn't have any issues with them. So there's something with that back tire. I ask if they could please look at the valve, and, being nice, I say, 'It might just have been me, but please just check it out and put some air in it since I definitely let air out?' So they agree and I go off to get my hair cut.

Forget the fact that one of the high schools is having their prom on Saturday night, so the salon is full of teenaged idiots who don't know how to fix their own damn hair. My car was done in half an hour, forty five minutes. Great. It took another half hour after *that* to get my hair cut. I go, pick up my car, and they say that they couldn't find anything wrong with the valve, but they put air in the tire, yadda. Fine.

I left, went home, did laundry and everything was fine.

This morning, I'm on the interstate on my way to church and guess what happens? Oh, you guessed it. The air pressure light went on! Son. Of. A. Bitch. Well, maybe they didn't put *enough* air in it. So I stop by the gas station, and lo and freaking behold, I can't put air in the left rear tire! It keeps letting air out! GRRRRRRRRRRR!

So rather than go to church, I turn and drive to the other end of town, to the mall, to Sears. The same guys are there this morning. I *know* that there is something wrong with the valve at this point. It has to be. I pull out my receipts from the new tires so I can prove that they rebuilt the valve stem cores when they put the new tires on, so whatever the problem is, it's their fault. The guy checks the pressure in that tire and says, 'Yeah, it is low.' NO. SHIT. SHERLOCK. BECAUSE I KEEP LETTING AIR OUT TRYING TO PUT AIR IN! But I remain calm, and explain the problem again. They look it up in the computer and see that they did replace the valve stem cores, etc. Fine. They take it and check the core, put air in the tire. Well, they say they don't have any problem putting air in the tire.

I DO NOT CARE! Their air hose is not the same kind that there is at gas stations. It's more powerful. I am not an idiot, and I know how to put air in my own tires. I can change my own tires too, or do a dozen other things on my car that I choose not to because I don't want to. It is more convenient for me to *pay* for someone to do those things. But that doesn't mean that I don't know what I'm talking about. So the very nice man says that they can change the valve stem core out anyway, just for my peace of mind.

Yes. You go ahead and do that. I'll wait.

While I'm waiting, seeing as how it is now 10:30 in the morning and I am obviously *not* going to make it to church, I call my friend Donna and ask her if she wants to meet me and go to an early lunch before the movies. We agree to meet around eleven and I head back into the auto shop. They're just finishing with the car, and the guy comes over and tells me that they replaced the core, but that they also found that when they put the hubcap on originally it was pressing against the air valve, which could have been putting pressure on the inside of it, causing the problem I was having.

*headdesk*

I ask if they put air in the tire. Yes. Okay, good. Thanks, bye now.

I drive out of Sears' parking lot, and the tire pressure light stays on. Sometimes, when the pressure's been low, it takes it a minute to register that it's been corrected. So I tooled around the mall parking lot. No joy. Okay. I decide that I'm going to just go to a gas station and try to put my own air in again. If it doesn't work, I'm going to go back to Sears and beat someone to death with a tire iron or something. Or just yell. Whatever seems to be most effective.

I pull into the closest station. I have no quarters. I get change, and go to use the air machine. It is broken and it eats one of my quarters. Dammit! So I pull out and am going to just go back to Sears. Then I spot a car wash. I figure, they have vaccums and such, so maybe they have air. They do. I go to put air in my tire and realize that I left the cap for the valve back in the gas station parking lot. *headdesk* Fine. One problem at a time. I turn the air on and try to put air in the tire.

IT WORKS! MY GOD, IT'S A MIRACLE!

So I take care of that, get in the car and the tire pressure light goes out. Awesome. I drive back to the gas station, and my valve cap is right there in the parking lot where I left it. I put it back on and drive off to meet Donna.

We go to get lunch, and I order half a sandwich and a cup of soup. Well, they accidentally give me a *bowl* of soup. The soup is yummy, so I eat it. :D

Then we went to see Priest, which was fun. Karl Urban and Paul Bettany cover a multitude of entertainment sins. Okay. Mostly Karl Urban. I'm sorry Paul, but there's just something about Urban that makes me go 'mmmmmmmmmm'. You're pretty too!

Then I went to the gym and worked out.

Now I'm home and I'm going to watch scary movies and write fanfic. Maybe another VBV post later.